Recently, the majority of the members of the Lakeland Library Cooperative, including the Kent District Library, elected to institute some changes that will impact Grand Rapids Public Library patrons. Effective June 28:

Grand Rapids Public Library cardholders will not be able to place holds on Kent District Library and other Lakeland library materials. GRPL cardholders will still be able to check out material from these libraries when they visit.

Audio-visual material (movies, music, audiobooks) and new books currently on hold in Lakenet will not be filled. After June 28, KDL and other Lakeland libraries may choose to not fill GRPL cardholder holds on other material as well.

If you have material on hold in Lakenet there are several things you can do. You can replace your holds on Evergreen. GRPL holds 85% of the same material as other Lakeland libraries. If you cannot find what you are looking for in our catalog, you can place a hold on it in MelCat, a statewide interlibrary loan system in which GRPL participates. If you cannot find the item in either catalog, the Grand Rapids Public Library will make every effort to purchase the book for our collection and place a hold on it for you. You can request this service on our website.

We understand that this is a tremendous change. Library cooperatives are funded by state aid, which was reduced 40% in 2009 and faces another 20% reduction this year. State aid funds shared services such as interlibrary loans. Further, all library districts face diminished funding due to lower property taxes and tax captures, among other reasons. Lakeland Library Cooperative members felt that by reducing interlibrary loan services, they would be able to reduce costs and save money.

We realize that the Grand Rapids Public Library offers extraordinary regional resources that are not duplicated anywhere else in the cooperative, and we will maintain access to these collections for all citizens of West Michigan. Kent District Library and other Lakeland library cardholders will still be able to borrow up to 100 items from the Grand Rapids Public Library and place holds on all of our circulating material. All of our materials and services, including our Local History and Special Collections Department, Small Business Resource Center, and educational workshops and events, are open to all residents of West Michigan.

If you have any questions or problems replacing your holds, please call 988-5400 or stop by any GRPL location.

71117 Responseshttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.grpl.org%2Fupcoming-changes-in-the-lakeland-library-cooperative%2FUpcoming+Changes+in+the+Lakeland+Library+Cooperative2010-06-18+14%3A49%3A58Kristenhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.grpl.org%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D7111 to “Upcoming Changes in the Lakeland Library Cooperative”

But I'm seriously cheesed that GRPL has cut its cardholders off from the LLC/KDL system by leaving their catalog and going with Evergreen. Who cares that Evergreen is popular elsewhere? It is non-compatible with the surrounding systems.

GRPL is fortunate that I don't have a choice which library system I fund via property taxes. I'd switch to KDL so fast your heads would spin. As it is, this is just more incentive to move out of GR. (Lousy schools, lousy roads, now the library system.)

I agree….I use both systems and if I can't find it at GRPL, then I'll go to KDL. What a bummer! I guess, since I can still check out books from KDL, I will just spend more time there than I would have before. Of course, the next step will be to cut GRPL patrons off entirely!

Robert H needs to contact his legislators about inter library loan funding not complain to GRPL. He can still use the LLC/KDL system. I do all the time. I am upset that I cannot place holds with KDL anymore but that is not the fault of GRPL.

I don't mean to open a whole can of worms here, but since as a GRPL resident, my available library resources have been cut by the KDL decisions, should GRPL consider cutting out KDL/LLC members? The money saved from servicing those out of network individuals could be used to purchase more materials that we seem to find at KDL, but not at GRPL.

I understand the financial problems that drive these decisions though I think the philosophy that our state (and federal) leaders embrace is very short-sighted. (Why is the US falling further and further behind in education when compared to other nations?) It angers me because I now have to spend more time to obtain library materials. It's easier for me to go to a KDL branch because I am all around West Michigan for work. I don't work near downtown and though I understand that I can have GRPL resources held at a nearby branch, the branches are extremely limited in on-site holdings. I can't go in and browse and find several books on a given topic. I have to go downtown to do this. It is no longer a quick trip to pick up something. Just to get to the library, park, pay, and return home will now be a trip of over an hour. That doesn't count the time I spend inside the building. I'll write my legislators but I hope you don't mind me complaining a bit here to others who mostly understand.

Distek – a couple of clarifications on your post. You are still able to use KDL and other Lakeland libraries. You just can't place holds on their material. You can also place holds on GRPL material and have it delivered to the branch closest to you. You can also use MelCat and have material from around the state delivered to any participating MelCat library. Finally, you receive a hour of free parking at the Main Library's lot during the week, and it is completely free on the weekends, so don't let that be a barrier to you coming downtown.